6 IZAAK WALTON AND HIS FRIENDS 



a free brother of the Ironmongers' Company, and 

 that in the license for his marriage with Rachel 

 rioud he was described as of the " Cittie of 

 London, Ironmonger," but, as the master for the 

 time being of the Ironmongers' Company remarked 

 on the occasion of the unveiling of the Walton 

 Memorial Window at St Dunstan's Church in 

 1895, one who is free of the City of London "when 

 styling himself as a citizen, appends the name of 

 some trade or craft ; that, however, does not 

 necessarily indicate the trade or craft he actually 

 follows ; it simply means that he is a Freeman of 

 the Livery Company of the City of London which 

 bears such name." ^ It appears, therefore, that we 

 have no good reason for supposing Walton to have 

 been an ironmonger by trade. The same reasoning 

 that would make him out to have been an iron- 

 monger might just as well make him out to have 

 been an attorney, since he is described in several 

 documents and writings as "Gentleman," which, 

 until quite a recent date, has been the proper and 

 legal description of an attorney .^ 



In a petition to the " Court of Judicature for 



1 The Fishing Gaizette, April 13, 1895. 



2 William Combe in his Dance of Death wrote : — 



" And thus the most opprobrious fame 

 Attends upon the attorney's name. 

 Nay, these professors seem ashamed 

 To have their legal title named : 

 Unless my observation errs, 

 They're all become Solicitors." 



